Coalition-Based Efforts to Prevent Chronic Diseases

Saint Louis University: Prevention Research Center

Topics:
Cancer | Cardiovascular Health | Community Health | Nutrition & Physical Activity for Adults | Tobacco Prevention & Control

Residents in the Bootheel and Ozark regions of Missouri live in low-income, medically underserved, rural areas where rates of death from heart disease, stroke, and cancer are about 15% higher than the state average. The center is collaborating with local partner advisory committees, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and 12 community health coalitions to lower residents’ risk for these chronic diseases. Some of the project’s goals include establishing local policies to restrict smoking in public places and schools, creating and upgrading walking trails to increase physical activity, and making it easier for residents to obtain fruits and vegetables from local grocers.

Center staff are partnering with the 12 community coalitions (established in the Bootheel and Ozark counties during a previous center project, Reducing Heart Disease Among Southeast Missouri Residents) on how to work with their community partners, local advisory committees, and the state and local health departments to meet these goals and thereby improve the health of community residents who are participating in the project. Evaluators will measure the progress residents make in adopting healthy habits and compare their results with those of community residents in Arkansas and Tennessee. They will also explore the factors that contribute to effective coalitions and to the coalitions’ capacity to promote healthy lifestyles.

 

Back to Research Projects